LMHCHANGESHEALTHPLANNAME

A health maintenance organization created by Lawrence Memorial Hospital has changed its name, to reflect its clientele.

Lawrence Community Health Plan administrators on Wednesday agreed to change its name to Community Health Plans of Kansas, because residents in Kansas City, Topeka and other areas questioned the connotations of having a Lawrence company manage their plan.

"As our market grows we are finding more and more interest from both providers and employers outside of the Lawrence community in participating with the Community Health Plan," the plan's chief operating officer, Michael Herbert, wrote in a recent letter to the hospital board.

Herbert called the original name a "stumbling block" when trying to market the plan.

"Persons outside of the Lawrence community somewhat resent Lawrence residents telling them how to practice medicine or how to manage care," he wrote.